Patna, August 31
With the Kosi water engulfing fresh areas in Bihar's 16 northeastern districts, the flood situation in the state worsened today.

However, there was some good news for the first time since the region was gripped by the deluge about two weeks ago with a senior official saying the flood situation would improve as the flow of water from Nepal had come down.

Over 30 lakh people in 16 districts are in the grip of floods, with 23 lakh in worst-hit Supaul, Saharsa, Madhepura and Araria districts alone. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said five army columns had been pressed into service for relief and rescue, while the state had requisitioned 25 more columns.

IAF helicopters and army columns deployed to assist the state government's flood fighting machinery continued relief and evacuation operations. The floods caused by the breach in the eastern afflux embankment at upstream Kuaha village in Nepal on August 18 is the worst in the region. The area was considered secure against the possibilities of floods after construction of hundreds of miles of embankments and Bheemnagar barrage more than four decades ago.

Though Disaster Management additional secretary Pratayaya Amrit said while over 4.75 lakh people had been evacuated, lakhs more were in dire need of being shifted to safer places. Amrit said about 2 lakh people were taking shelter in 17 relief camps set up by the state governments and many more being run by non-government organisations.

Amrit said the Nepal government had agreed to help India in taming the river which causes huge damage to infrastructure in Bihar. — PTI